A completely revamped version is in the works that ditches the current AppleTV OS in favour of something more akin to the iPhone/iPad with, presumably, a similar third-party developer model so that apps can be supported. If so, this is something we’ve been asking for since the original AppleTV launched.

Another aspect of the report that is both intriguing and makes sense is that the content distribution model looks to be switching from downloads to something cloud-based i.e. video and music streaming. That way the new AppleTV won’t need much local storage and is also inline with the company’s recent acquisition of the cloud-based music service LaLa.

Hardware-wise, Engadget says the internals will use the same A4 CPU as iPhone 4G/iPad, and again, this would make sense.

Oh and one other tidbit, it will alledgedly have a price tag of $99, which I find to be slightly optimistic.

Comparisons to GoogleTV are also inevitable but it’s worth remembering, Apple’s plans were likely laid a long time ago.

last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.